During his meeting with the president, Yuri Borisov also noted that the new State Armament Program will be ready by mid-2023 and that the government has already increased the advance payments to 100% for the purchase of the electronic component base. Under the state defense order (SDO), the right to conclude a contract with a single supplier at estimated prices not exceeding the average SDO and without registration with the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS).
Discussing the range of nonconventional weapons, a military expert explained that the designation covers a broad spectrum from advanced laser and infrasonic systems to practical non-lethal devices such as stun guns. The field of electronic warfare has expanded rapidly in recent years, with dedicated electronic warfare units now part of the RF Armed Forces and a growing lineup of systems that gained public attention for their distinctive capabilities. Among the best known are the Leer, Infauna, Krasuha, and several other projects.
Although units explicitly based on new physical principles are not yet deployed, the Peresvet laser complex, first publicly referenced by Vladimir Putin in 2018, remains on alert. It is designed to contribute to air and missile defense tasks. The full properties of Peresvet are classified, but public descriptions indicate a laser effect intended to blind air targets such as drones. In 2020, the complex was tested in Syria.
Experts describe this technology as part of the wider family of directed energy weapons, a category that includes laser devices, microwave emitters and even directed acoustic systems, according to political scientist and military analyst Alexander Zimovsky.
The list Borisov referenced may include several developments, with a notable emphasis on electromagnetic weapons. Historical tests of such systems trace back to the Soviet era. A prominent figure in this line of work was Academician Andrei Sakharov in the 1950s, with later contributions from the Radio Instrumentation Research Institute and the Physico-Technical Institute, now under the umbrella of the Almaz-Antey concern. Other entities, such as Ioffe, studied how strong microwave radiation could affect air targets. The Ranets-E complex, unveiled in 2001 at an arms show in Malaysia, became a real expression of electromagnetic weaponry capable of disrupting electronics on ground targets, aircraft, and guided missiles.
The official noted that Ranets-E can affect electronics up to roughly 12 to 14 kilometers away, limiting the practical reach of systems like Kantsa-E to shorter ranges for now. Research is ongoing to extend operational reach, he added.
Another promising electromagnetic option is the Alabuga complex. Its exact tactical and technical details have not been disclosed publicly. Alabuga is produced by Concern Radioelectronic Technologies JSC, part of Rostec Corporation.
In 2018, Vladimir Mikheev, then Deputy Director General of KRET, explained to the RIA Novosti agency that Alabuga should be viewed as a program rather than a single weapon. The work highlighted several avenues for future development, including ideas for placing an electromagnetic emitter on a rocket to deliver a field at a height of around 200 to 300 meters. The intended radius of effect is about 3.5 to 4 kilometers, where enemy systems could lose communications and guidance and control capabilities.
The fundamental principle is that modern radar components are highly sensitive to energy overloads. A strong electromagnetic flux can damage semiconductors and cripple electronic equipment. The goal is not to kill but to disable electronics across enemy platforms, a concept explained by a military radio-electronics expert, reserve colonel Mikhail Lavrenchuk, in discussions with Socialbites.ca.